Monthly Archives: January 2024

Tekto A3 Delta Tactical Knife with Forged Fiber Carbon Handle Exudes Power You Can Feel

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A well-designed tool needs to do more than just get the job done. It needs to be able to keep up with your needs and your lifestyle, whether it’s working on crafts or surviving the outdoors. That’s especially true for tactical knives that you need to cut through any problem at hand, not only staying sharp but also staying steadfast, safe, and strong under any conditions, especially rough ones. Tekto has always taken great pride in its growing family of powerful tactical knives, but its latest variant of the A3 Delta really ups the ante by introducing a handle made with exceptional strength and lightness and a serrated blade with enhanced cutting power, delivering the confidence you need to face any mission or task.

Designer: Tekto

Click Here to Buy Now: $152.99 $179.99 (15% off, use coupon code “A3YANKO”). Free FedEx 2-day shipping for orders in the US. Hurry, deal ends in 48 hours!

The Tekto A3 Delta automatic folding knife has always been a powerhouse in the brand’s arsenal. Inspired by the indomitable spirit of the US military, the knife’s design and features evoke a sense of unrelenting performance even in the most demanding situations. And yet it isn’t just some brute tool but also an exemplary work of fine craftsmanship, perfectly balancing power and style to bring a sharp tool that delivers both confidence and comfort in every cut.

With a new handle made from forged fiber carbon, the A3 Delta takes that experience to the next level, utilizing a material famed for its durability as well as its lightness. Together with specially designed contours and strategically positioned jimping, this new Tekto A3 Delta variant guarantees an unparalleled grip and exceptional comfort, no matter how you’re holding the knife. Plus, it looks stunningly handsome, even and especially with its rugged aesthetic.

Of course, this folding knife is more than just a handsome face. Thanks to a serrated blade, the A3 Delta Forged Fiber Carbon edition offers even more cutting power, while the same titanium-coated D2 material ensures longevity and reliability to weather any task. And this sharp blade can quickly jump into action each and every time, thanks to Tekto’s signature folding automatic mechanism that makes each deployment swift and smooth.

Of course, with a powerful knife such as this, safety becomes an even more important consideration, and the Tekto A3 Delta definitely delivers. With a button lock and safety switch working in hand-in-hand, you can rest assured that the knife remains securely closed when you don’t need it. And when you see the crimson red indicator, you know that your trusty partner is ready to cut through your tasks in an instant. Strong, stylish, and safe, the Tekto A3 Delta with a new Forged Carbon Fiber handle raises the bar in what tactical knives can offer to bring not just the power you need but also the joy of having a well-designed tool in your hand.

Click Here to Buy Now: $152.99 $179.99 (15% off, use coupon code “A3YANKO”). Free FedEx 2-day shipping for orders in the US. Hurry, deal ends in 48 hours!

The post Tekto A3 Delta Tactical Knife with Forged Fiber Carbon Handle Exudes Power You Can Feel first appeared on Yanko Design.

Sheryl Sandberg is leaving Meta’s board

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Sheryl Sandberg is leaving Meta’s board of directors after 12 years, ending her last official role with the company. In a post on Facebook, she said that “this feels like the right time to step away” and that she would continue to advise the company.

Sandberg spent 14 years as Meta’s COO and Mark Zuckerberg’s top lieutenant and 12 years on the company’s board. Her role as board member will officially end in May. “After I left my role as COO, I remained on the board to help ensure a successful transition,” she wrote. “Under Mark's leadership, Javi Olivan, Justin Osofsky, Nicola Mendelsohn, and their teams have proven beyond a doubt that the Meta business is strong and well-positioned for the future, so this feels like the right time to step away.”

Meta hasn’t commented on who may take over the board seat. During her time with Meta, Sandberg was known for leading the company’s multibillion-dollar ad business. According to Axios, revenue grew 43,000% during her tenure. But her status within the company had changed in recent years as Zuckerberg embraced the metaverse, which doesn’t currently have a clear path for an advertising business.

“Your dedication and guidance have been instrumental in driving our success and I am grateful for your unwavering commitment to me and Meta over the years,” Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook. “I look forward to this next chapter together!”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sheryl-sandberg-is-leaving-metas-board-003630253.html?src=rss

This gorgeous concrete sculpture of the New York Flatiron Building is actually a high-end Speaker

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It isn’t often that you see brutalism as a design style being used outside architecture… but this sculptural speaker is a different beast entirely.

Designed to look like it was chiseled out of actual concrete, “TheSoloist. Sounds.” from Takahiro Miyashita was crafted with the vision of being the absolute centerpiece of your living room. Outwardly, it’s an homage to New York’s Flatiron building, standing at an impressive 43 inches tall with a dizzying amount of detail. Behind that exterior, however, is a 7-speaker setup designed to output a whopping 2000W of audio power, loud enough that its engineers promise “spectacular sound pressure that can be felt directly on the skin.”

Designer: Takahiro Miyashita

Before your ears experience TheSoloist. Sounds.’s audio, your eyes are treated to one of the most beautiful speakers they’ll ever see. Now in the realm of speaker design, TheSoloist. Sounds. is far from traditional. It doesn’t boast your standard acoustic chamber, audio grill, or showcase the drivers. It looks entirely like an artistic representation of New York’s architecture emerging from a block of concrete, but under that facade hides all of the audio magic. The sculpture can be split into two halves, the upper chiseled section and the lower, which arguably house the mid/high, and the woofer drivers respectively.

The lower section sports two 6.5″ woofers, while the upper part of the speaker houses two 3″ mid-range and three 1″ tweeters, covering a frequency range of 20Hz ~ 25KHz. The speaker pulls 2000W of power, and outputs an impressive 110dB of audio. The entire unit comes crafted from faux concrete, weighing 55lb (24.9 kilograms)… which does feel deceptively light for its nearly 4-foot stature.

Recreated for a second edition after the first one sold out, TheSoloist. Sounds. sports an eye-watering $$6,345.32 price tag… but that makes sense just given the amount of effort and intricate detail that went into the exterior as well as its inner hardware. That being said, TheSoloist. Sounds. isn’t for the discerning audiophile. It’s made for people who want an expressive statement piece to dominate their interior spaces – something this brutalist speaker does exceedingly well!

The post This gorgeous concrete sculpture of the New York Flatiron Building is actually a high-end Speaker first appeared on Yanko Design.

Segway-style, motion-activated ‘standing’ wheelchair helps users confidently navigate life

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What is the ultimate freedom for those with lower limb disabilities bound to a wheelchair? A ride that not only helps get around with minimum external human assistance, but that allows one to stand up and sit down with similar convenience. Invaluable modifications have happened to the traditional wheelchair to reach closer to this dream of ultimate freedom.

Joysticks are used for maneuvering the wheelchair through obstacles and mechanics are to allow a wheelchair to rise from the usual sitting position to semi-standing freedom. Addressing this facet with an outstanding new approach is the Kim-e, a segway-styled wheelchair users can stand upright in just a matter of seconds.

Designer: Chronus Robotics

The brainchild of Chronus Robotics, a Lithuanian-based manufacturer, the Kim-e has been developed into a production model over four years of research, prototyping and perfecting. Unlike the traditional wheelchair, the Kim-e is instantly distinguishable with its two-wheeled design. There is no word on pricing or availability at the time of writing, presumably though, it should be out sometime later in the year. You can book a free test ride with Kim-e today.

Things are made ultra-convenient not just by the instant transformation of this wheelchair from sitting to standing in seconds, but more so by its hands-free functionality. Reportedly, Kim-e can be controlled by upper body movement to raise and lower the seat or glide the wheelchair through the crowd. And when you’re ready to hit the road, it can fold up to fit into the boot of your car for easy transportation.

Drawing its power from a lithium battery onboard, Kim-e can power up fully in four hours and travel up to 30 km on a single charge at a top speed of 20 km/h. This wheelchair, along with the built-in battery weighs 38 kg and has a payload bearing capacity of up to 90 kg. Kim-e may have a slightly lesser weight-carrying ability, but it is designed with safety in mind whether you use it in a traditional seated position at the work desk or while strolling upright with your friends in the mall.

Kim-e is equipped with a scissor-lift-type mechanism which allows the seat to raise enough to put the occupant at the eye-level of your companion. No more pushing or tugging. Let your friend/partner wall besides, while you maneuver the wheelchair on your off-road capable tires over sand, gravel or shallow water. At a semi-standing position, Kim-e straps the user’s thigh and even supports one to climb slopes of up to 20 degrees without breaking a sweat.

The post Segway-style, motion-activated ‘standing’ wheelchair helps users confidently navigate life first appeared on Yanko Design.

Notion turns its Cron acquisition into an integrated calendar app

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Notion launched a calendar app Wednesday, built and reskinned from Cron, the calendar startup the company bought in 2022. Tight platform-wide integration will be the appeal for Notion’s “tens of millions” of users. Notion Calendar includes a built-in scheduler and makes it easy to merge content from the productivity ecosystem’s notes, docs and project dates.

Notion Calendar lets you link Notion notes and other documents to meetings, transforming the calendar invite into an all-in-one hub for participants to add or view supporting content. It also integrates with external tools like Google Calendar, Google Meet and Zoom.

Raphael Schaad, Cron’s founder who now heads its next iteration as Notion Calendar, describes the app as “a new way to manage your most precious resource, time.” In the video below, he demonstrates how you can quickly check on a family member’s medical appointment and block it off your planner so your work colleagues won’t double-book you for that hour. Notion Calendar’s scheduler will let your co-workers (or anyone else you’ve shared availability with) know that time is unavailable, but they won’t see the details.

Notion Calendar requires a one-time sign-in with Google Calendar to set it up. However, Schaad wrote on X today that the company was “running into Google Auth rate limits,” preventing sign-ins — something he describes as a “‘good’ launch day problem to have.” If you have trouble logging in, he expects the issue to be resolved within the next day and advises you to check back later.

Notion Calendar supports all the same languages as the entire platform. It’s available today on Windows, Mac and iOS. In a significant absence at launch, Notion says Android support is “coming soon.” It also doesn’t yet support Office 365 or iCloud integration, although Schaad promises that, too, is on the company’s roadmap.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/notion-turns-its-cron-acquisition-into-an-integrated-calendar-app-215644220.html?src=rss

This Rabbit R1 AI Smartwatch would have been a smash success at CES 2024…

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Smartphone technology has come a long way and most of us would consider there is no going back from the endless convenience of next-gen phones that keep dropping every other week. This notion may be on the verge of change, with a pocket-friendly Rabbit that paced through the hearts of CES attendees this year. Dubbed the R1, a walkie-talkie-like device created by a startup called Rabbit in collaboration with Teenage Engineering and it is an AI-assisted smartphone alternative.

This retro-styled personal assistant with a screen, camera, and a scroll wheel is half the size of an iPhone 15 and presents a simpler and less distractive way to interact with technology. How the R1 really functions is a story untold, but its nostalgic simplicity has had over 10,000 customers and a designer floored. The designer has added wearable convenience to the Rabbit making it a compact AI watch.

Designer: Alisher Ashimov

The first visible motive for turning the palm-sized personal voice assistant into a wearable is to eliminate the need for an extra device to carry in the pocket, whatever the size might be. Aptly named Rabbit R1 AI Watch, it will enhance portability without compromising the uniqueness of the original design.

To that accord, the designer has retained the vibrant orange color theme to keep with the retro vibe. The wrist-worn voice assistant has the same square dial with features like a camera, a control wheel, speakers, microphones and the pioneering push-to-speak button included.

The redesigned wearable preserves a sim card slot to allow the watch to function independent of a smartphone, which is essentially the stand-out feature of the Rabbit R1 itself. The app-less handheld AI assistant takes us back to a time when using a phone was simple, and the idea of the watch keeps with that ideology.

It runs the Rabbit OS which allows it to conduct regular tasks like ordering Uber or checking out your grocery directly using the Rabbit’s proprietary Large Action Model (LAM) AI model. LAM is adaptable, which means it can learn and interact with new applications and actions you want it to learn. There is no word on the specifications of the AI Watch, but we presume when it is ready, it will be close to the 4 gigs of memory, 128GB storage, and 2.3GHz MediaTek processor that its inspiration Rabbit R1 features.

The post This Rabbit R1 AI Smartwatch would have been a smash success at CES 2024… first appeared on Yanko Design.

Sony is making an Until Dawn movie

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Sony is continuing to mine its back catalog of games for movie adaptations while persistently forgetting that Bloodborne is right there. Its next game that's bound for the big screen is Until Dawn, a 2015 interactive horror title that Supermassive Games developed and Sony published.

David F. Sandberg (Lights Out and the Shazam! movies) will direct the adaptation, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Gary Dauberman, who previously worked on Annabelle: Creation with Sandberg, is taking a fresh stab at a script originally written by Blair Butler (The Invitation).

Until Dawn focuses on a group of eight young people who try to survive the night at a perilous mountain retreat. The spooky game has a branching narrative and, depending on the decisions you make (or if you fail at quick-time events), some of the characters may not make it until the group is rescued the following morning.

Given that any or all of the characters may perish during the night, there are hundreds of possible endings to the game, so it'll be interesting to see which direction Sandberg and Dauberman take with the material. Several notable actors appeared in Until Dawn, including Hayden Panettiere, Jordan Fisher and Oscar winner Rami Malek.

Sony has already adapted several of its games into film and TV properties, with live-action versions of Uncharted (another movie pastiche that itself became a film), Gran Turismo, Twisted Metal and The Last of Us popping up over the last couple of years. Sony also has adaptations of Ghost of Tsushima, Horizon: Zero Dawn, God of War and others in the pipeline.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sony-is-making-an-until-dawn-movie-211729859.html?src=rss

Samsung’s new Galaxy AI features are coming to the S23 and last year’s foldables

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Today as part of its latest Galaxy Unpacked event, Samsung announced a whole host of AI-powered features for the S24 family. However, buried among the news was info that Samsung will also be porting at least some of those tools over to last year's premium phones and tablets.

After asking about specifically which devices were covered, in an email to Engadget, Samsung confirmed that the company is "looking forward to bringing the Galaxy AI experience to the Galaxy S23 series, including the S23FE, ZFold5/ZFlip5 and Tab S9 later this first half."

Samsung's new AI tools include things like Chat Assist which can translate languages in real-time or perform tone correction in texts and emails, Suggested Edits in photos which looks to automatically correct things like shadows and reflections and Circle to Search, which is powered by Google and combines traditional text-based queries with visual search similar to the Google Lens app. 

Currently, it's unclear if the entire suite of Galaxy AI features will be available across every device or if tools will be ported over on a more case-by-case basis. And without the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chips used in the S24 line to power them, it remains to be seen how much of a performance hit there might be on older models. That said, it's really nice to see Samsung commit to bringing at least some of its new software to last year's flagship gadgets as it helps avoid people feeling like they need to upgrade after a year or less. 

 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsungs-new-galaxy-ai-features-are-coming-to-the-s23-and-last-years-foldables-210046981.html?src=rss

This Spotify Speaker helps Long Distance Relationship couples bond over music

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Long-distance relationships (LDRs) pose unique challenges, with 37% of couples parting ways within three months of becoming geographically separated. In response to this, the innovative product SoundMotion has emerged, offering a streamlined way of companionship specifically designed for couples navigating the complexities of distance. Unlike traditional communication technologies that focus on explicit information transmission, SoundMotion integrates music sharing, physical engagement, and subtle notifications to address the emotional nuances essential for fostering intimacy in LDRs.

Designer: Zhujun Pang

While researchers in human-computer interaction (HCI) have explored various technologies for emotional communication in LDRs, they often fall short of addressing the complex emotional changes and needs of long-distance couples, especially whose love languages include ‘physical touch’ and ‘acts of service’. SoundMotion takes a user-centered approach, focusing on implicit emotional communication through the combination of music sharing and physical interactions.

The beginning of SoundMotion involved a meticulous design process, starting with the identification of the need for a user-centered approach. The concept evolved through brainstorming, sketching, and the development of an inspiration board. The initial design involved integrating physical devices with a streaming service and creating a bespoke music-sharing channel for couples. The swinging motion was chosen as the primary means of physical interaction, signifying new messages and indicating the partner’s online status.

To enhance the user experience, the design underwent iterations, with feedback leading to adjustments in the placement of the screen and the incorporation of personification elements. The swinging motion, inspired by the movement of a bell, aims to strengthen the sense of companionship through anthropomorphism.

SoundMotion is a dedicated communication system facilitating seamless interaction between long-distance couples. Equipped with a device known as SoundMotion, each couple gains access to synchronized music listening and basic physical engagement. The tangible interaction design conveys the partner’s state through subtle, ambiguous cues, capturing attention without intrusiveness.

The SoundMotion device features a hat that acts as a switch, controlling Bluetooth speakers. Opening the hat to a horizontal angle activates the device as a music speaker, while fully opening it triggers the Couple Channel, displaying the screen. The swinging motion of the hat serves as a notification, indicating the partner’s status during music playback.

The development process included prototyping, where an electromagnet initially drove the swinging motion. However, due to limitations in the magnetic field range, a servo motor replaced the electromagnet for more effective performance. This user-friendly adjustment highlights SoundMotion’s commitment to refining the user experience through practical testing and improvements.

SoundMotion employs the ESP8266 as its hardware platform, establishing a connection with the Spotify server. This connection allows the transfer of emoji feedback data generated during user interaction, enabling Spotify to analyze the data through the Spotify Web API. The result is personalized music recommendations, enhancing the overall experience for long-distance couples.

SoundMotion stands at the forefront of technology designed to address the emotional needs of long-distance couples. By combining music sharing, physical interaction, and subtle notifications, this innovative product offers a unique and user-centered solution to the challenges faced by those navigating the complexities of a long-distance relationship. SoundMotion not only bridges the physical gap but also fosters emotional closeness, making it a promising development in the realm of human-computer interaction for intimate relationships.

The post This Spotify Speaker helps Long Distance Relationship couples bond over music first appeared on Yanko Design.

Amazon includes up to a $200 gift card when you pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S24 series

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Samsung’s first major hardware event of the year is here and, as expected, it’s primarily focused on the Galaxy S24 series of flagship smartphones. What you might not know, however, is that these smartphones are available for pre-order and that Amazon is already offering a fairly substantial bonus for early adopters.

You can get a gift card, up to $200, by pre-ordering the S24 via Amazon. All you have to do is enter a code at checkout. Once you complete the order, you’ll get an electronic gift card for use throughout the site. Being as how Amazon sells just about everything under the sun, that’s basically free money.

The gift card amount varies depending on the model. To snag the full $200, you’ll have to pony up for the top-of-the-line Galaxy S24 Ultra. The standard S24 gets you a $50 gift card, while the beefier S24+ allows for a $150 gift card. The Ultra costs $1,300, while the S24+ costs $1,000. The regular S24 will set you back $800. Flagship phones are pretty expensive, so the gift card can help offset that a bit. Samsung’s also offering a storage upgrade with pre-orders and Amazon customers get access to this perk.

What’s new with the S24 line? A whole lot, actually. They boast an ultra-durable titanium frame that should seriously increase the phone’s lifespan. To that end, Samsung has promised seven years of software support for these phones. While the specs feature the usual year-to-year bump, the software is packed with, wait for it, AI algorithms that allow for some new use case scenarios.

For instance, AI allows for a drastic increase in optical quality when using the camera’s zoom functionality. The algorithms can also be used to edit photos, create slow-mo footage and even delete and move items in the frame, with the AI automatically filling in the empty space. There’s also AI-enhanced language translation tools, ChatGPT-esque summarization capabilities and automatic copy-editing.

There’s a reason we previously wrote that Samsung “is taking the transition to the AI era incredibly seriously.” Pre-orders start today and official sales of the S24 line are slated for January 31.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-includes-up-to-a-200-gift-card-when-you-pre-order-the-samsung-galaxy-s24-series-194428875.html?src=rss